Birdwatching with Your Eyes Closed: An Introduction to Birdsong
Nov 2011 · Hachette UK
Ebook
240
Pages
family_home
Eligible
info
reportRatings and reviews aren’t verified Learn More
About this ebook
"Most of us can see, but not everyone looks. Most of us can hear, but not everyone listens. This book will help you do both. And, above all, it will tell you how to enjoy." Bill Oddie
"He'll tune your ears to winter's lonely voices - robins, wrens, long-tailed tits - before preparing you for the exultant sounds of spring." The Times
Learning to identify birdsong is not just a way to become a better bird-spotter. It is tuning in: a way of hearing the soundtrack of Planet Earth...
Why do birds sing? What are they trying to say?
Birdsong is not just about natural history. It is also about our history. We got melody from birds as we got rhythm from the womb.
This vital book, with an accompanying podcast available online, takes you from winter into deepest spring, teaching you how to recognise song after song as the chorus swells. Beginning with the thin, soft song of the robin and ending with the life-affirming melody of nightingales. Along the way, you will learn the science of birdsong the difference between song and call, the physiology of songbirds, what birdsong tells us about evolution, and indeed the very beginnings of life itself.
The aim is to give you a flying start in birdsong so that, after reading this book, you'll be listening to order, not chaos, to Bach, not white noise. You will be more aware of the wild world, and better able to understand it.
"He'll tune your ears to winter's lonely voices - robins, wrens, long-tailed tits - before preparing you for the exultant sounds of spring." The Times
Learning to identify birdsong is not just a way to become a better bird-spotter. It is tuning in: a way of hearing the soundtrack of Planet Earth...
Why do birds sing? What are they trying to say?
Birdsong is not just about natural history. It is also about our history. We got melody from birds as we got rhythm from the womb.
This vital book, with an accompanying podcast available online, takes you from winter into deepest spring, teaching you how to recognise song after song as the chorus swells. Beginning with the thin, soft song of the robin and ending with the life-affirming melody of nightingales. Along the way, you will learn the science of birdsong the difference between song and call, the physiology of songbirds, what birdsong tells us about evolution, and indeed the very beginnings of life itself.
The aim is to give you a flying start in birdsong so that, after reading this book, you'll be listening to order, not chaos, to Bach, not white noise. You will be more aware of the wild world, and better able to understand it.
About the author
Simon Barnes is the author of many wild volumes, including the bestselling Bad Birdwatcher trilogy, Rewild Yourself, On The Marsh, The History of the World in 100 Animals, and The History of the World in 100 Plants. He is a council member of World Land Trust, trustee of Conservation South Luangwa and patron of Save the Rhino. In 2014, he was awarded the Rothschild Medal for services to conservation. He lives in Norfolk with his family and horses, where he manages several acres for wildlife. He was the Chief Sports Writer for The Times until 2014, having worked for the paper for 30 years.
Rate this ebook
Tell us what you think.
Reading information
Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.
